Mobile network operator (MNO) Vodafone Czech Republic has announced the success of its latest laboratory LTE-A trials, claiming to have achieved peak throughput of 1.2Gbps at its Prague base. Working with Huawei, the cellco demonstrated 4.5G technology using 4×4 MIMO carrier aggregation (CA) with spectrum in the 800MHz, 1800MHz, 2100MHz and 2600MHz bands, on their full width of 10MHz, 20MHz, 20MHz and 20MHz blocks, with 256 QAM technology.

Meanwhile, the MNO has also announced that it is moving away from using the 900MHz band (Band 8) for its LTE services, opting instead to consolidate its already extensive use of the lower 800MHz band (Band 20) for 4G. Having initially invested heavily in LTE-900, the operator has failed to translate that into concrete coverage figures; out of 4,500 on-air transmitters on its network, only ten are operating at 900MHz. Vodafone CR says its preferred LTE bands provide for higher data speeds, and having originally planned to cover rural areas with LTE-900, after the country’s LTE auction, it gradually replaced that with LTE at 800MHz, reports Mobilenet.cz.